DARTMOUTH — In what is seen as a boon to genealogists and local scholars, UMass Dartmouth announced Tuesday that more than 50 years of the former New Bedford Portuguese-language newspaper, Diario de Noticias, is now available online.

Known as the Ferreira Mendes Portuguese-American Archives, the project includes the digitizing of 84,010 pages or 16,641 issues of the newspaper, covering the period from 1919-73, so they can be viewed on the Web.

Dr. Jean F. MacCormack, UMass Dartmouth chancellor, quoted Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of The Washington Post, as saying that newspapers write the first draft of history.

"The second draft of history will be written by the scholars here," she said.

Describing it as "a powerful tool," rich in local history with stories about local news and people's contributions to society, she said it holds the potential "to build projects around."

"It's a great resource to families, and a teaching and learning tool at all levels," she said.

"It's a treasure trove of endless information," said Frank Sousa, director of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture.

MacCormack said the ribbon-cutting and official opening of the archives will be held Sept. 18.

The digitizing of the newspaper - done at a cost of $130,000 to $140,000 - was funded by the Autonomous Government of the Region of the Azores; Mark and Elisia Saab, co-founders of Advanced Polymers; and Luis Pedroso, co-founder and president of Accutronics Inc. of Chelmsford and a leader in promoting education in the Portuguese community.

The newspaper collection contains news stories about local elections, as well as information about local clubs, religious organizations, societies and businesses, along with wedding announcements, births and obituaries.

Diario de Noticias, also known as the Portuguese Daily News, was published at 93 Rivet St. and was a daily newspaper for most of its publication life before becoming a weekly.

It began as the Alvorada (The Dawn) on Jan. 25, 1919, and became the Diario de Noticias in 1927. Joao R. Rocha acquired half the paper in 1940, then bought out the newspaper and became publisher and sole owner in 1943. It ceased publication in 1973 when Rocha retired.

Judy Farrar, an archivist at the Claire T. Carney Library, said she has received inquiries from family members who want to know whether there was information about a loved one in the Diario collection.

Now, with its search engine, family members can make their own inquiries from anywhere in the world, she said. It has been available on microfilm for many years.

She said there are plans to digitize at least four other Portuguese newspapers, including O Jornal and The Portuguese Times and possibly 10 to 12 papers published in California.

She said they are missing several editions of the Diario de Noticias - from July through December 1928 and from January to February in 1946 - and would appreciate the public's assistance if anyone has copies.